ABSTRACT

At the other end of the spectrum, are models that propose that families actually have relatively little influence on child behavior outside of their genetic contributions (Scarr & Kidd, 1983) and choice of neighborhood that contains an influential peer group (Harris, 1995). These approaches, too, have come under scrutiny with the realization that genes and even peer groups do not operate in isolation but are embedded in broader environments such as families, communities, schools, and culture (O’Connor & Plomin, 2000). These two extreme perspectives are similarly limited in that they do not consider the broader ecology of child development nor the process by which children and parents mutually influence each other.